


All This Time

by iareawesome



Series: Shirbert AU Modern Setting [1]
Category: Anne of Green Gables (TV 1985) & Related Fandoms, Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Prom, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:41:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27906898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iareawesome/pseuds/iareawesome
Summary: Anne Shirley could swear her heart stopped every time Gilbert Blythe walked in the room. The problem? He was the quintessential popular senior and she was the school's biggest outcast. He would never give her a second glance, right? A light and fluffy story of Anne and Gilbert in a modern high school prom setting.- -“You would want to go prom... with me?” Anne asked, dumbfounded.Gilbert rubbed the back of his neck, a seemingly nervous gesture. “Yeah, I do.”“Why?”
Relationships: Diana Barry & Jerry Baynard, Diana Barry/Jerry Baynard, Gilbert Blythe & Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley, Prissy Andrews/Winifred Rose, Ruby Gillis & Moody Spurgeon MacPherson
Series: Shirbert AU Modern Setting [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2043532
Comments: 27
Kudos: 186





	All This Time

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is my first Anne with an E story and I'm so excited to share it! It's been in the works for a while, ever since I found out it was cancelled (still raging to this day). This story is based off of a story I read years ago on fanfiction.net by an amazing writer with the screen name DustWriter under the Hunger Games fandom. Please give her stories a read!

_"I have for the first time found what I can truly love—I have found you. You are my sympathy—my better self—my good angel. I am bound to you with a strong attachment. I think you good, gifted, lovely: a fervent, a solemn passion -“_

“Anne! Are you listening to me at all?”

Anne looked up from her place on the grass up at Diana, who in all her raven haired glory, was looking down at her with frustration. Jerry was next to her, clearly amused at how she had been caught. She snapped the _Jane Eyre_ book in front of her shut and got up from her laying position to sit up beside her. 

“I’m so sorry, Diana. I’m just at _such_ a momentous part of the book where-“

“It’s okay, Anne, I get it.” Diana cut her off before she went into a ramble, one which no doubt she had heard before. She handed Anne her phone, showing her a photo of a lady whose hair was styled in an intricate updo. “I was saying, mother wants me to try this style out when the hairdresser comes this weekend. What do you think?”

Anne looked at the picture on the screen and gasped. The model’s hair was twisted into an elegant french braid that was gathered at the nape of the neck, coming together to form a bun. “This is absolutely exquisite, Diana! I mean, any hairstyle you wear would make you look like a princess, but this suits you perfectly.”

Jerry leaned over and kissed Diana on the cheek as Anne handed Diana’s phone back to her. “I agree, _mon cher_. Anything you decide to do, you will look beautiful in.” Diana burst into a fit of giggles.

“Thank you both. I’m really excited to try out the different styles I picked out to see what goes best with my dress. Prom is only a week away, can you believe it?”

Anne groaned as she fell back onto the grass. “Don’t remind me, please.” She could hear the chatter between students in the near distance as her gaze focused on the branches above her. They were currently on their lunch break, in their usual lunch spot under a magnolia tree outside of the atrium. Students were coming and going, some were situated on park benches eating their lunch and others were gathered in groups, chatting. She focused back onto the tree, particularly a flower that was swaying with the wind. Anne had the urge to climb up and grab it before it could make its journey down below.

“Did someone ask you again?” Diana asked, picking at her lunch. 

“Let me guess, it was Charlie Sloane asking you for the third time this month.” Jerry said, snickering. Anne frowned and sat up quickly. Grabbing the closest thing next to her, which just so happened to be her water bottle, she threw it at Jerry, narrowly missing his head. 

“Hey! That was close!” Jerry complained. Anne stuck her tongue out at him for good measure.

“To answer your question, no, it was not Charlie Sloane. It was someone vile and horrendous! I can’t even say his name out loud because I might just explode with humiliation!” Anne exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. She could feel the flush on her face and she was very close to yanking her single French braid out of her head. 

“I’m sure there’s no one in our grade that is as vile and horrendous as you say. Who was it?” Diana asked. 

Anne looked around, checking to see if anyone was in close proximity, before leaning in and whispering. “Billy Andrews.”

“Billy Andrews?!” Jerry exclaimed. Anne hit him on the shoulder with her lightning quick reflexes. 

“Jerry Baynard, if Diana didn’t love you so much, I would be _murdering_ you with my bare hands right now.” She went in for another punch but Jerry caught her wrist before she could make contact. 

“Okay, settle down you two.” Diana said, always the mediator. She turned her attention back to Anne, who had calmed down a bit. “Why would Billy ask you? He’s teased you since the first day you transferred here.” 

“He asked me to try to make a fool out of me.” Anne said quietly, picking at the ends of her hair. “That’s what all the boys are doing. Whoever can get the orphan and biggest outcast in school out to prom wins the game.” She rolled her eyes.

“Anne, you know that’s not true.”

“Of course it is, Diana. Why else would they ask me?”

“She’s got a point.” Jerry teased, taking a bite out of his sandwich. Diana shot Jerry a glare. Clearly it wasn’t the time for his jokes. 

Sensing his girlfriend’s anger, Jerry swallowed his bite before speaking. “ You know I’m just kidding, Anne.” Anne just shrugged, pulling her knees up to her chest. She was used to Jerry’s teasing. 

“Regardless, you’re going to prom with or without a date. I know you’ve been contemplating going or not, but we’re settling this now. We’ll be your dates, and that’s final.” Diana said. Anne groaned as she rested her forehead onto her knees, burying her face. She could feel her long wisps of hair falling out of her braid, but now was not the time for decorum. 

“It’’ll be fun, you’ll see!” Diana said, placing her hand on Anne’s shoulder for encouragement. Anne just groaned even louder. 

“Hello Diana, Jerry, Anne!”

“Hey guys.”

Anne snapped her head up to her name and through her messy bangs, her eyes landed on a tall blonde standing in front of them. A familiar dark haired, hazel eyed boy was standing next to her, a couple of steps behind. Anne felt her heart start to race and her throat run dry and she attempted to straighten herself out by pushing her stubborn bangs out of her face. No such luck. 

“Hello Winnie, Gilbert!” Diana chirped happily. Jerry gave them a “‘Alo” while Anne mumbled a “Hi”. Her eyes met with Gilbert’s for a split second before she tore her gaze back to Winifred. 

Winifred Rose was the quintessential popular high school senior, with her long silky blonde hairand her maxi skirt and flowy top emitting elegance and poise. Anne felt like a child in her overall shorts and white tee in comparison. 

“I wanted to come over to say hi, _and_ to invite you all to my party tomorrow night.” Winifred said in her posh English accent. She handed each of them a slip of paper with the details on it. Anne scanned the page quickly.

“You’re inviting us?” She blurted out. Winifred’s elegant handwriting scattered the page with details of the party.

“Yes, of course! I’m only gathering a few people, some of my closer friends and those who I’d love to keep in touch with after high school. Gilbert has kindly offered to co-host with me.” She answered, sneaking a smile in Gilbert’s direction but noticed that his attention was diverted elsewhere. Gilbert cleared his throat upon hearing his name, and stepped forward.

“Yeah, it’s going to be at Winnie’s place. Her parents are out of town for the weekend and they agreed to let her throw a small party while they’re gone. It’s just a way to celebrate the end of our senior year before prom starts.” He said with a shy smile, gaze lingering on Anne. 

Anne swallowed hard, her heartbeat picking up fast. 

“It’s very kind of you to think of us.” Diana said sincerely, looking at the details on the invitation.

“Wait, don’t you live in Charlottetown?” Jerry asked. “That’s where all the big houses are!”

A pretty blush appeared on Winifred’s cheeks. “It’s not that big, really.” 

“Don’t be modest, Winnie. I’ll bet you have a beautiful home.” Jerry commented. “I’m sure it’s much bigger than what we’re used to in Avonlea, eh Anne?” Anne gave a tight lipped smile as Winifred laughed awkwardly, unsure of how to respond.

“So you guys will be there?” Gilbert asked, hopeful. Anne met his gaze and realized he was staring right at her. 

“Um, well-“ Anne started, and looked to Diana for guidance. Diana was also hesitant to reply, staring back and forth between the invite and Anne. 

“Oh please say you will. It would be lovely to have you all there with us. There are only a few weeks of school left so we must take advantage of it while we can.” Winifred pleaded, eyes twinkling. 

“Well, I mean, I’m not sure-“ Anne started but was interrupted.

“We’ll be there!” Jerry exclaimed, suddenly. Anne and Diana snapped their heads towards him, eyes wide.

“What?” Jerry asked. “It will be fun. I don’t have to work at my parent’s shop this weekend, so why not?”

“That’s the spirit!” Winifred said, satisfied by his answer. “We’ll leave you to your lunch. See you guys tomorrow night.” She said, starting to back away. Gilbert was about to follow when he stopped and turned to them once more. 

“I’m really glad you guys are coming. See you then.” He gave Anne one last smile before turning back and following Winifred to their usual lunch table, a few feet away. Anne watched as they sat down with the rest of their gang, Prissy Andrews, Josie Pye, Ruby Gillis and Moody Spurgeon MacPherson.

“Jerry! I can’t believe you agreed to go!” Anne snapped at him. “Next time, speak for yourself. I don’t want to go to Winnie’s party!” 

“It’s free food and free booze, Anne. What’s the problem?” Jerry said. Diana looked over at their table, where Ruby had turned to sneak a glance at them. She gave Diana as shy smile as their gazes met.

“The problem is that I don’t want to be at a party with the most popular kids in school. I get made fun of enough as it is!” Anne said, frustrated. “Why would they invite us anyway? I didn’t even know they knew we existed.”

“Jerry and I used to hang out with Moody, Gilbert, and Ruby in elementary school.” Diana said, recalling the memories. “We grew apart once high school started, but maybe that’s why?” She looked to Jerry for confirmation to which he shrugged in response. 

“Well, I’ve never had a conversation with any of them.” Anne said. She looked over at their table and saw Prissy looking at her. She gave Anne a smile before turning to Winifred, whispering something in her ear. Winifred looked over and glanced at Anne, waving. 

Anne quickly looked away. She didn’t like how they kept looking over at them. 

“What about the time you smacked Gilbert in the head with your book?” Jerry snickered. “Wasn’t that right after you transferred here?”

Anne was sure she turned the colour of her hair as she turned her attention to a blade a grass beside her shoe. She could recall that moment vividly in her head. She had transferred to Charlotte High two years ago and on her very first day, Billy Andrews had been a cad and picked on her for being a redhead. It didn’t help that Gilbert Blythe, the boy she had found extremely handsome at first glance, just happened to be nearby and witnessed the whole thing. Gilbert had made a comment about how her hair was quite beautiful, and that it reminded him of carrots. 

Carrots.

Gilbert Blythe was making fun of her. She knew it was too good to be true. 

Her temper had gotten the better of her at the time and she smacked him in the head with her Jane Eyre book. Humiliated by her actions, she had mumbled a quick apology and made her way out of the classroom as quick as her feet could carry her. It didn’t help the situation when, in the weeks that followed, she found out that he was captain of the school’s hockey team, the most popular boy in school, and actually a very kind, intelligent and selfless person. He had tried to apologize to her, but Anne adamantly avoided him, humiliated by the fact that she lost her temper on someone as genuine as him. 

In fact, she had avoided him since. But it didn’t have to do with the fact that her heart would do flips each time he entered the room. 

It really didn’t. 

“Right, well, that was the only time.” Anne mumbled in response, noticing that Diana and Jerry were still waiting for a response. The couple looked at each other, a knowing smile on their faces. 

“You know what, Jerry has a point. We never go to parties and school is coming to an end. This will be good practice for the freshmen parties we’ll definitely be attending at Queens.” Diana said. All of them had been accepted into Queens earlier in the year and they took comfort in knowing that they’d still be together after high school. 

“I really don’t want to go. Please don’t make me.” Anne pleaded. Just the idea of being in a room full of people that thought of her as a loser made her stomach drop. Not to mention, she would have to watch Gilbert and Winifred make out all night. The thought of that made her sick as well.

“What about this? Let’s just drop by, have some food, grab a drink, and if we’re really not happy, then we’ll leave.” Diana suggested. “And before you even suggest it, we’re not going if you’re not.”

“We’re not?” Jerry said. Diana glared at him and smacked him on the head. 

“Right.” Jerry said, rubbing his head. “We’re not.”

Anne stared at her best friend. Diana was a beautiful girl that came from a family that was well off, and she was polite and just as elegant and poised as Winifred was, _and_ she lived in Charlottetown where all the rich kids lived. Anne sometimes felt that the only reason Diana wasn’t part of the popular crew was because she chose to stay by her side. Jerry was also well liked, with his ability to befriend anyone and everyone who came his way. It was evident that they wanted to go to the party… the least she could do was put up with one night of humiliation for them. 

_It’s just one night._

“Okay, fine.” Anne sighed. Diana squealed and Jerry cheered.

“But I’m going to need something to wear…”

“Oh, not to worry.” Diana said, her eyes twinkling with delight. “I’ve got you covered.”

\- - 

“Why didn’t you tell me you were invited?!” Anne exclaimed. 

Cole peeked out from behind his canvas and shot Anne a look. “I _told_ you not to move. Stay still.” 

Anne huffed and got back into position. She was situated in a reading nook in Cole’s studio, one that was right beside the window. She looked out the window, into the distance where she had kept her gaze on for the past thirty minutes as Cole painted. 

She had met Cole a few weeks after transferring to Charlotte High. He was a grade above her, but she had taken an advanced english literature course which was where they met. They became friends quickly, having common interests and coincidentally, having the same lunch period and living in the same area. Conversations in class led to shared lunches which led to walking to and from school together. After Cole had graduated, they spent the summer together where he revealed to her that he was homosexual. He had kept it a secret from his classmates at Charlotte High but was ready to start a new chapter of his life in university true to himself. When the first day of grade 12 came, she was in the depths of despair not having Cole around. 

“You didn’t answer my question.” Anne mumbled through gritted teeth, careful not to move her face as she continued to stare out the window. 

“I didn’t think you would be invited.” Cole answered honestly. Anne felt something stir in her stomach at his blunt reply. 

“And to save you from asking and moving _again_ ,” Cole said, hands moving quickly across his canvas, working on Anne’s red locks. “I met Winnie in grade 12 Advanced Art History. She sat next to me since she didn’t know anyone, and we got along well.” 

Anne hummed in response, listening to the paintbrush dabble across the canvas. They stayed silent for a bit longer, before Cole popped his head out from behind his bench. 

“Okay, I just need to fill in the details. You’re free to go.”

Anne let out a sigh of relief and plopped her feet onto the ground. She reached up as far as she could, giving her body a long stretch. Cole put down his easel and paintbrush in a nearby sink and started to clean them. 

“So are you going to go?” He asked over the running water. 

“I didn’t really want to, but I promised Diana and Jerry that I would go with them.” Anne sighed, stretching her neck from side to side. “Just like how I said I’d go to prom with them even though I have no date.”

“There are worse things to complain about.” Cole said, looking up at her while cleaning. “Didn’t a few people ask you?” 

“Yes, but they hardly count.” Anne said, rolling her eyes. 

“And why’s that?”

“Because they did it to tease me.”

“What makes you think that?” Cole said, turning to face her. His hands worked slowly as he grabbed a towel next to the sink and started to dry the supplies he had washed previously. 

“I’m the biggest outcast in the school and everyone thinks I’m a loser. They know I’m an orphan that was adopted, that I’m plain looking and homely and with the ugliest shade of red hair, and they always stare at me when I walk by. They look at my car when I drive by, and at my clothes, and I know they talk about me, I can hear their whispers.” Anne said. “Why else would they ask me?”

“And you’ve heard them say those words exactly?” Cole asked, one eyebrow raised. 

“Not exactly. Well, fine, I don’t hear what they say about me, but I _know_ that’s what they’re saying - and thinking!” Anne stammered. 

“Exactly, you’ve never heard them say any of those things, so why assume the worst?” Cole said, kicking himself off the sink cabinet he was leaning up against to move towards her. “No one has ever given you a reason to think that they don’t like you or that they think you’re a loser. For all you know, the people who asked you could have genuinely wanted to go with you, but you’re letting your insecurities cloud your judgement. Don’t stress yourself out by allowing yourself to think that people are talking about you and what you look like or what car you drive. Take it from someone who kept to themselves all throughout high school.” He walked past her and put his easel and paintbrush back in place. “I, for one, think you are beautiful. Why else would I choose you to be the model for my painting?” 

“You’re just saying that because I’m your friend.” Anne muttered, still not convinced. 

Cole rolled his eyes. “That is exactly what I’m referring to. Stop being so negative.”

“Right, sorry.”

He sighed, knowing that this was an issue that wouldn’t be solved overnight. “That being said, I will come with you to Winnie’s party tomorrow if it will help to have another friend there.” 

Anne’s eyes lit up. “Really? Do you mean that, Cole?”

“Every word.”

Anne squealed and threw her arms around Cole. “Oh, this is the best thing that’s happened all day! Thank you! Now I don’t feel as bad third wheeling Diana and Jerry!” 

Cole laughed and put his arms around her. “It’s the least I could do to repay you for being my model. This art program is really killing me.” 

“Anytime. I am always here to be your muse” Anne teased, pulling away. Cole quickly changed his expression as he put a serious face on, stepping back to examine Anne. 

“What is it?” She asked, suddenly feeling very exposed.

“Right, so let’s talk about how you’ll be doing your hair for tomorrow because these braids just won’t do for a party.” 

\- - 

Friday’s school hours passed by in a blur and before Anne knew it, she was at Diana’s getting ready for Winifred’s party. 

“I don’t know about this, Diana…”

“Oh, stop fussing. It will look beautiful on you.” Diana said from her spot at her vanity table as she adjusted a beautiful silver pendant around her neck. She had let down her hair but curled the ends so that it framed her face perfectly. To top it all off, she wore a casual baby blue dress. She looked into the mirror and focused on the bathroom door reflection, the one that Anne had currently locked herself into. 

“Anne, just come out. I _know_ it’s not that short on you.”

“It _is_ , though! Marilla would kill me if she saw me in this!” Anne yelled from behind the bathroom door. 

“Well then it’s a good thing the party isn’t at Green Gables tonight. Now, will you just come out so that I can see? _Please?_ ” Diana said, exasperated. She heard the bathroom door open and turned around to see Anne walk out in a white silky tank top that was tucked into a rust coloured flowy skirt that ended just above her knees. Anne walked over to Diana’s vanity mirror, all the while trying to pull the skirt down.

“Stop that!” Diana scolded, grabbing Anne by the shoulders to straighten her posture in front of the mirror. “Anne, you look beautiful! And that skirt is in no way too short!” 

“Ive never worn a skirt like this before!” Anne said, looking at her reflection. Diana’s borrowed clothes hugged her body perfectly, showing curves that Anne never bothered to accentuate before. 

“And after tonight, you can say that you have.” Diana said. “Because you’re keeping that on for the party.” She glanced at her phone, noting the time. “Where is Cole? He said he’d be here by now.”

They heard a voice coming from the hallway. “I’m here!” Cole appeared at Diana’s doorway, dressed in a casual hoodie and pair of jeans. Diana eyed him up and down but before she could ask, he put a hand up and stopped her.

“Don’t ask. I forgot it was laundry day and this was most decent thing in my clean pile. It’s why I’m late.” He made his way over to the vanity table and sat Anne down in front of it. “Alright ladies, we have very little time so let’s get to work.”

“I was going to ask how you got past my mother.” Diana said as Cole ran his fingers through Anne’s long locks. 

“Minnie May let me in.”

Diana made an ‘ah’ sound as Cole looked down at what Anne was wearing. He made a low whistle.

“My dear, you have been hiding quite the body from us. Those legs go on for days.” He teased. Anne panicked for a second and made to get up. 

“Oh my gosh, you’re right. I can’t be seen in this-“

“I’m _just_ teasing, relax.” Cole chastised, pushing her back down. “It was a compliment.” He began to work on her hair, weaving his fingers in and out to create tiny braids hidden beneath wavy locks. Anne and Diana watched in silence as he worked his magic, and before they knew it, he was finished on her hair. 

“Now, make up.” Cole said, turning Anne around to face him. 

“Make up?! We never discussed this.” She protested. He stuck his hand out to Diana who passed him some products in brand new packaging. Anne’s eyes widened. 

“It’ll just be enough to enhance your current features.” Diana reasoned as Cole opened up a tube of mascara. Anne started to protest but Cole put a finger to her lips.

“Trust us, Anne.” 

Cole started to apply mascara onto her eyelashes as Diana worked on her blush and lipstain. If Anne had to describe what she was currently feeling, she would have said that there was a mixture of anxiety, fear, and just a bit of-

-Well, just a bit of excitement. 

When they finished, Cole turned Anne around and allowed her to look into the mirror. Anne stared at her reflection and couldn’t believe her eyes. Her blue eyes were sparkling, outlined by the mascara and the natural peach blush on her face brought out the freckles on her cheeks, but in a way that made her glow. Her hair fell down in messy waves, detailed with tiny braids in the perfect spots. Her lip colour was a very natural pink, a colour that made it seem like she had no lipstick on at all, and it brought out her most beautiful smile.

She looked.. pretty.

“And now, we’re all ready.” Cole said, smiling at how Anne seemed to glow. He turned to Diana, who was also glowing. “What about you, Diana? Do you need any last minute finishes done?”

“No thank you, Cole. I think we should best go, Jerry should be here soon.” Diana said, smiling back at him. “What do you think, Anne? Ready to go?”

“Y-Yeah.” Anne said, touching her face as she examined her reflection closely. She cleared her throat.

“Yes! I’m ready.”

\- - 

_“Noooooon, rien de rien”_

Anne and Cole laughed in the back seat of Jerry’s car as Jerry and Diana sang at the top of their lungs. Between Jerry and Anne, both of whom lived in Avonlea and not in Charlottetown like Cole and Diana, they picked straws to see who would drive. Anne had won, and thus they were currently all crammed into his Jerry’s old Camry with his stereo blasting classic French tunes. 

_“Noooooon, je ne regrette rieeeeen.”_

“Jerry, if I had known you would be singing the _entire_ ride, I would have volunteered to drive.” Anne yelled over the music, giggling. 

“The drive is only 10 minutes from Diana’s place, Anne. Just wait until I drive you home tonight. Thirty minutes of you, me, and Edith Piaf.” Jerry said, looking into the rearview mirror and meeting her gaze. She rolled her eyes at him but kept a teasing smile on her face. 

“She loves your singing, _mon chéri._ ” Diana said, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek. “Don’t you, Anne?”

“Whatever you say, Diana.” Anne said, looking at Cole, who smiled in return. Diana’s GPS suddenly chimed, indicating that they had arrived at their destination. 

As Jerry pulled into a stop on the side of the street, the first thing Anne noticed was the size of the driveway alone. It was a U shaped driveway and 7 cars were already parked in it. There were cars parked on the side of the street in front of Jerry’s car as well. She hesitantly stepped out of the car with the others, and slowly they walked up the driveway where Winifred’s house came into full view. 

Jerry gave a low whistle. “You certainly don’t see houses like these in Avonlea.”

Anne let out a slow breath. “No, you certainly don’t.”

“This is even bigger than Aunt Jo’s house, wouldn’t you say, Cole?” Diana said, her fingers laced in between Jerry’s as they made their way towards the front door. 

“Definitely.” Cole agreed. 

They finally made it up the front steps and Diana rang the doorbell. There was a soft bass emitting from the house; no doubt the party had already started. Anna could also hear laughter and soft shrieks coming from the backyard. 

Suddenly feeling very self conscious, she crossed her arms and let out another shaky breath. Before she could give herself a pep-talk, the door swung open and they were met with a very flushed Winifred Rose. 

“Why helloooo there, my friends! Come on in!” She sang happily, stepping aside to let the four friends in through the door. Anne trailed in last, her eyes scanning the crowds of people currently taking up her foyer, living room and… second living room? Piano room?! 

“There are so many people here.” Anne mumbled to Cole. Winifred closed the door behind her, but gasped as she made eye contact with Anne.

“Anne, I almost couldn’t recognize you. Look at you! You look absolutely gorgeous.” Anne blushed at Winifred’s compliment. 

“Thanks, Winnie. You look beautiful yourself, as always.” Anne said, taking in Winifred’s appearance. She had her hair up in a high ponytail and her eyes had a beautiful shimmer to them. She was dressed in a beautiful cream coloured dress that fit her like a glove. 

Winifred gave a melodic laugh as her gaze went to Diana. “And Diana, my beauty. You look stunning as always. Jerry, our handsome man, you better keep an eye on her before I steal her away from you.” She gave Diana a wink to which Diana laughed. 

Finally, Winifred turned to Cole and slipped an arm through his. “And Cole, my dear friend. How is art school treating you? I am so glad you could make it.” Cole smiled at her, leaning into her.

“It’s challenging, Win. Will you be joining me next year?”

“Oh, you can count on it, love. Save a seat for me in class, yes?” 

“Is she bothering you, Cole?” Prissy Andrews had gracefully snuck up behind Anne and made her way over to Winifred. “She always talks too much when she’s had too much to drink. I always have to stop her before she says something she regrets.” 

“My hero.” Winifred said, looping her other arm around Prissy’s. “Now, enough talk. Let’s get drinks! To the kitchen, everyone!” She led the way to the kitchen, starting another conversation with Cole while Diana, Jerry and Anne followed. As they weaved their way through the crowds of people, Anne noticed people staring at her as they walked by. The dreadful feeling in her stomach started to stir again. 

“Here we are!” Winifred said, as Anne entered the kitchen. She held out a cup of beer to which Anne took into her hands. Standing in the kitchen was Ruby, Moody and Josie and they stared at Anne as she walked in. 

“Oh, thanks.” Anne mumbled. She took a sip from the cup, attempting to keep herself busy to avoid conversation. 

Ruby broke the silence by rounding the kitchen counter and stopping in front of Anne and Diana. “We’re so glad you guys could make it! We weren’t sure if you were going to come.” 

“You knew we were invited?” Anne asked. Ruby giggled at her.

“Of course we did, silly! It was Gilbert’s idea!” 

“Ahem!” Winifred snapped, listening in on their conversation as she passed cups around. “And, yours truly.” Her words slurred together as she started to sway, but Prissy held her by the waist. 

“Easy, love. Let’s go sit down before you fall over. Cole, let’s catch up. Come sit with us?” Prissy led a protesting Winifred out of the kitchen and into the living room. Cole laughed and threw Anne a shrug before following them out of the kitchen.

“Well, regardless of whose idea it was, it was kind of them to invite us.” Diana said, taking a sip from her cup. Jerry grabbed a handful of chips from the Doritos bowl, munching on them. 

“Oh, we really should hang out more. We used to be so close in elementary school.” Ruby said. “Remember how Moody used to have a crush on you? Remember that, honey?” She looked over at Moody, who laughed in response.

“I did have a pretty big crush on you, Diana. It was your little pigtails that got younger Moody’s heart going.” Diana laughed merrily along with Ruby, and Jerry tugged on her hair to tease her. 

“And Anne, you’re always so eloquent when you do our readings in English class. I wish I were as smart and beautiful as you.” Ruby said, turning to Anne, voice sweet and sincere. Anne’s jaw dropped, but she caught herself and shut it. 

“Um, thanks Ruby.” Anne wondered if Ruby actually thought she were smart and beautiful.

Josie Pye piped in. “I wasn’t sure about you at first, Anne, but after you gave Mr. Philips a mouthful, in front of the whole class might I add, for mistreating Ka’kwet, you peaked my interest.” 

“Um.. Thanks Josie?” Anne wasn’t sure how to react to that, but Josie seemed satisfied with her answer. 

“Now, w _here_ is Blythe? He’s been gone way too long and we’re almost out of drinks.” Josie exclaimed, calling out to the living room. Anne felt her heartbeat start to pick up at the thought that Gilbert was somewhere nearby.

Anne turned to Diana and Jerry. “I’m going to go find Cole.” She said. Being around Cole would keep her grounded in the event that Gilbert showed up. 

“Do you want us to come with you?” Diana asked.

“That’s okay, you stay and catch up. I’ll be back.” Anne said. Diana nodded and Anne scurried away to the living room. She could smell the alcohol in the air as crowds of people chattered away. Some were playing beer pong, some were playing darts, but all Anne could focus on was finding Cole. 

She continued to weave her way around people as she left the living room and walked into the dining room. A group of girls she recognized from her math class were sitting at the dining table giggling to themselves. One of the girls, whom she recognized as Tillie Boulter, locked eyes with her. 

“Hey Anne, nice outfit!” 

Anne smiled at her as she continued to walk by, “O-Oh, thanks Tillie?” Tillie looked at her friends in confusion to Anne’s response, before giving a shrug and continued their conversation. 

Anne mentally slapped herself. Why did she say that? Tillie was complimenting her, not making fun of her.  


  
_Or maybe she was._

She shook her head at the thought. Cole was right, she had to be less negative. Anne was so caught up in her thoughts that she made a bee-line out of the dining area back into the main hallway. At the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Cole’s blonde hair and grey hoodie. 

“Cole!” She rounded the hallway corner as fast as she could before he could disappear again but ran smack into a body. She gasped and was about to fall backward with her drink in hand when a pair of arms caught her waist to steady her. 

“Whoa! I got you.”

There it was again. Anne felt her heart slam against her chest at the familiar voice and as she steadied herself onto her feet, she came face to face with a pair of honey brown eyes. 

“A-Anne!” Gilbert cried, clearly just noticing it was her. 

Anne couldn’t breathe. He was so close. Never in her two years at Charlotte High did she ever get close enough to him to see all the details on his face. HIs messy unkempt curly hair somehow sat perfectly on top of a face with perfect skin and even more chiseled chin. He smelled of oakwood and pine. 

She realized that her hand was resting on his arms, and she quickly pulled herself away from his grasp as if she got burned. “H-Hey Gilbert.” She said, straightening herself. She checked to see if she had spilled her drink on his black long sleeve shirt. “Sorry, I was looking for Cole.” 

Gilbert opened his mouth to reply but Anne beat him to it. “Not that you would know who Cole is, sorry. He’s a tall blonde, wearing a grey hoodie-“

“And is currently with Winnie and Pris.” Gilbert finished for her, slightly amused. “I know who Cole is, don’t worry.” 

Anne nodded. “R-Right., Of course you do.” She stared down at her drink, not knowing what to say next. 

“Do you want me to take you to them? They’re in the room Winnie calls ‘the drawing room.’” Gilbert said, using air quotes. 

“Yes, please.” Anne said quietly. She tried to avoid his gaze as he looked down at her. He bent down to pick up a 6 pack and nodded in the direction of the kitchen.

“Come on, this way.” He said, leading the way. Anne followed him, making sure to take slow steps so that she wouldn’t trip and fall. Her heart was still beating fast and having him less than 1 meter in front of her didn’t help slow it down at all. 

They came to a room at the back of the house where there was much less noise and people. It was a beautiful room with a grand piano situated in the corner and potted plants on shelves that adorned the walls. 

“Huh.” Gilbert said, mostly to himself. Anne glanced at him in the corner of her eye. “They were just here. I guess they left in the time I went to pick this up from my car.” 

“T-That's okay. I’ll find him. Thanks for trying.” Anne said, and was ready to turn around to escape the already embarrassing situation she found herself in. 

“Wait! Why don’t we wait here for them? I’m sure they’ll be back soon.” Gilbert said, putting his 6 pack down on a nearby table. 

“I’m sure you have better things to do.” Anne said, her fingers softly drumming on her cup. 

“Not really, actually.” Gilbert said, finding a spot on a nearby couch. “Here’s a spot.” 

Anne hesitated as he sat down, but then he looked at her with those _beautiful_ eyes of his and she found that she couldn’t say no. Suddenly conscious of how short her skirt was, She walked over to the seat next to him slowly and sat down. There was a moment of silence after she sat down where Gilbert stared at the floor in front of him and Anne stared at her shoe. 

Anne wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole.

“I’ve never seen you with your hair down before.” Gilbert started, breaking the silence. She looked over at him, and he smiled at her. “It’s really beautiful. I mean, y-you look beautiful, not just your hair.”

She blushed at his words. Why was everyone complimenting her tonight? “Um, thanks. Cole did it for me.” She took a sip of her drink to keep herself from saying too much. 

“Cole is definitely an artist. Maybe he can make me look just as beautiful.” He joked, and laughed nervously. 

Anne stared at him for a second before a smile broke onto her face and she started to laugh. Gilbert noticed her change in mood and continued to laugh along with her.  


“What are we laughing at?” He said, his laughter trailing off. 

Anne shook her head at him. “I don’t know. Maybe I’ve had a bit too much to drink.” She looked into her cup and realized that she had drank most of her beer. 

“Then maybe we should cut you off for now.” Gilbert said, reaching over to take the drink from her. His fingers brushed hers as he grabbed her cup, and Anne could have sworn they lingered there for a while before taking it out of her hands.

“You’re not drinking?” Anne asked, seeing that he didn’t have a drink in hand. He set her cup down on a table next to him. 

“Nope, not tonight. I volunteered to be the one looking after things.” He said. Anne made an ‘oh’ sound before going silent again. Without the cup in her hand, she had nothing to fiddle with. 

“So.. are you planning to go to Queens?” Gilbert asked, filling the silence once more.

“Yeah, are you?” Anne asked. 

“I haven’t fully decided yet, they have a pretty good pre-med program.” Gilbert said. He paused before continuing. “I got a full scholarship to the University of Toronto too but I’m leaning more towards staying on the island.” 

“To help out at your family’s farm?” Anne asked. Gilbert looked at her, eyes wide.

“You know about the farm? It’s the one just on the outskirts between Avonlea and Charlottetown.” 

Anne nodded, embarrassed by her admission. “Diana’s mom always picks up fresh apples from there.” 

“Oh yeah, we have a pretty big orchard.” Gilbert said, eyes still lingering on her. “You should come by sometime. I’ll give you a tour of the place.” 

Anne nodded awkwardly and looked down at her shoe. 

“Anyway, who are you going to prom with?”

Anne’s breath got caught in her throat at his question. She looked over at him and noticed his eyes eagerly waiting for an answer. Nevermind that this was the longest conversation she had with anyone other than Diana, Jerry or Cole, but she was having it with Gilbert Blythe. What if Winifred saw them together? Would she be upset that they were sitting so close together?

Anne stiffened at the thought. They were sitting _very_ close together. 

She got to her feet quickly, startling Gilbert in the process. “I’m thirsty, are you thirsty?” She said, ignoring his question. 

Gilbert got up to stand next to her, gesturing to the kitchen. “Oh, did you want some water? I can get you a cup-“

“Ohhh there you are, my lovebirds!”

Anne turned to the entranceway of the room to see Winifred stumbling towards them. Prissy was behind her, shaking her head at Winifred’s drunken antics. As Winifred approached them, Anne was suddenly filled with dread at how she would react to seeing her and Gilbert alone together in an empty room. 

_When did the other people in the room leave?!_

Winifred looped her arms around Gilbert and Anne’s, all while giggling. “We were just about to start games but we couldn’t start without the both of you.”

“How much have you had to drink, Win?” Gilbert asked, laughing at her. She leaned over to him and lowered her voice.

“I’ve had 3 beers, but if little miss Pris over there asks, I’ve only had 1.”

“I heard that.” Prissy said, rolling her eyes. Winifred giggled and turned Gilbert and Anne towards the hallway. 

“To the kitchen!” She said as she pulled them out of the room and down the hall. Anne swallowed hard as they walked into the kitchen, where a crowd of people had already gathered. She saw Ruby and Moody at the back of the kitchen furthest from there, but saw no sight of Diana or Jerry. Or Cole for that matter.

Winifred let Anne go to make her way to the centre of the crowd, and Anne ducked out of the way quickly towards Ruby and Moody.

“Hey, have you guys seen Diana and Jerry? Or Cole?” Anne asked, not recognizing her own voice. 

“They left a while ago to look for you.” Ruby replied, with a drink in hand. “Cole was with them too.”

“Thank you for coming, everyone!” Winifred yelled over the crowd from her seat on the kitchen counter. The cup in her hand looked as if it were going to spill, and Prissy took it out of her hands. “With only a few weeks left of our senior year, what better way to celebrate than to have a party with some delicious food, yummy drinks, and with the best people?” 

The crowd cheered as Winifred threw her hands in the air. Ruby screamed as she raised her cup and Moody gave a big whoop. 

“And now that we are all just a little bit tipsy, we’re going to start party games! Starting with - 7 minutes in heaven!” Winifred announced, to which more cheering was heard. “And who better to start the night off than our very own Gilbert Blythe-” 

Anne’s stomach dropped. She did _not_ need to be here for this.

Anne turned to Ruby and Moody. “If you see them, could you please tell them I’m looking for them?”

“Of course we will, Anne, but you must stay for games!” Ruby said, gently grabbing Anne’s hand. 

“I don’t think that’s a very good idea-“

“-and Anne Shirley!” 

Anne couldn’t breathe. Surely she didn’t hear right. Winifred would never. 

Ruby squealed as she raised Anne’s hand into the air. “She’s over here, Win!” The crowd turned to her and Anne felt all eyes on her as Ruby pushed her to the front where Gilbert was currently standing. 

Winifred jumped off the counter and put her hands on their shoulder. “Now, you two, I’m sure you’re well acquainted with the rules of the game. 7 minutes - not a second more, and not a second less.” She gently pushed them into the kitchen pantry, a huge one at that. Anne turned around just as Winifred stepped back and saw her mischievous smile. “Have fun!” She sang, and closed the door. 

The room was enveloped by darkness but Anne could hear Winifred’s voice on the other side. “And now, we drink!” There was cheering and then things started to grow quiet.

Anne heard the click of a light and turned around to see Gilbert, his hand still on the light switch. He smiled nervously at Anne. “Sorry about her. She’s known to do crazy things when she’s drunk.”

“Why would she lock another girl in here with her boyfriend?” Anne cried, turning back to the door and tried to open it. She was panicking.

“Boyfriend? I’m not dating Winnie.”

Anne spun around, hand still on the door. “What?”

Gilbert crossed his arms over his chest, brows furrowed. “Her and Prissy are dating. I thought everyone knew.”

“Wait, what?” Anne repeated. This was news to her. 

“Yeah, they’ve been dating for a few months now. It happened over Christmas break. Her parents don’t know yet, but I think they have their suspicions. Prissy’s parents definitely don’t know. They’re been waiting for the right moment to break the news but it’s not exactly a secret to everyone in school.” Gilbert explained. 

Anne stared at a spot behind Gilbert’s head, processing the news. “Huh…” She said, leaning her back against the wall next to her. Was she really that out of the loop? “So you’re not dating Winifred.”

“I’m not dating anyone.” Gilbert said quietly, watching her. 

Anne diverted her gaze, saying nothing. The jar of canned beans in front of her was suddenly very intriguing.

Gilbert moved closer to her. “So… who are you going to prom with?” 

“No one.” She replied. She really didn’t want to have this conversation right now. 

“Oh, but I heard that quite a few people asked you.” 

Anne resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Yeah, well..” She trailed off. She stared at her foot as she shuffled her boots together. He was the last person that needed to know her theory of why they did. 

Sensing that he wasn’t going to get answer from her, Gilbert moved closer to her. Anne looked at him from the corner of her eye, hyper aware of the short distance between them. 

“I’m not going with anyone either. Maybe, well, do you want to go together?”

Her head snapped up to meet his gaze. His figure was outlined by the lightbulb directly behind him, so she couldn’t see his expression clearly, but his eyes said it all. They looked nervous, anxious..

..hopeful?

“You would want to go with me?” Anne asked, dumbfounded. 

Gilbert rubbed the back of his neck, a seemingly nervous gesture. “Yeah, I do.”

“Why?”

He exhaled quickly. “W-well, to be honest,I’ve wanted to ask you for a while but then things got busy between university applications, the farm, and midterms. And every time I saw you, I would try to ask but then I’d get nervous and I’d find a reason to ask another day. Then Winnie told me that she heard you had been asked a few times and I just assumed you would have had a date already so..” He said, trailing off at the end. 

Anne blinked at him. She was at a loss for words.

“I mean, who could blame them? You’re smart, you light up every room you walk into, and you’re _so_ incredibly beautiful.” Gilbert stammered, laughing nervously. “I know we haven’t talked at all up until today. Ever since you hit me with your book in English class last year, I thought you wanted nothing to do with me so I kept my distance because I didn’t want you to hate me more. But then senior year came and I knew I was running out of time, so Winnie had the idea of inviting you to this party so that I could talk to you and have you get to know me more, and then maybe..” He laughed, stumbling over his words. “Sorry, I ramble when I’m nervous. I’m talking too much, aren’t I?”

Anne didn’t say a word, still processing half of what he was saying as she continued to stare at him with widened eyes. He had stepped even closer and she could see that he some freckles of his own on the apples of his cheeks. 

Gilbert took a deep breath. He was so close that Anne could feel his breath on her.“Anne, I- I can’t stop thinking about you. You’re always on my mind and I really like you. Can you give me a chance? Will you let me take you to prom?”

She could only stare as he stared back with pleading eyes. “What?” She whispered. 

He didn’t respond but instead leaned in closer, hesitating for a split second as if asking for permission. When she didn’t attempt to pull away, he brushed his lips gently against hers. Anne sucked a breathe in through her nose, her heart about to rip out of her chest at the sudden contact. Gilbert immediately pulled back, cheeks flushed.

“Shit, I’m so sorry, Anne. I don’t know what I was thinking, forgive me-“

“It’s okay.” Anne whispered immediately, her eyes darting back and forth between his eyes and down to his lips. “It’s okay..” She whispered again before leaning up slowly and pressing her lips against his once more. 

He tasted warm, sweet, and the smell of oakwood overwhelmed her senses as he reciprocated her kiss. His arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against him as he sighed and kissed her deeper. Her hands came up to his cheek, fingers tracing down his jawline as she whimpered. 

He pulled away for a second, his eyes boring through her. “Is this okay?” He asked breathlessly. When she nodded, he exhaled and smiled before leaning down to kiss her again. “You smell like wildflowers. I can’t believe this is happening.”

“Me neither.” She murmured against his lips. She was about to let her senses take over once more when she heard the door crack open. 

“And, time!” Winifred’s face appeared at the doorway, followed by faces of their classmates peeking in. Ruby and Moody were beside her, peeking in as well. 

Anne quickly pulled away from Gilbert, reality settling in. “We were just..” She didn’t know how to finish that sentence. She looked over at Gilbert, who also looked dazed as he stared at Winifred.

“Oh, we know _exactly_ what you were doing.” Josie’s voice sang from over the crowd. She was sitting on the kitchen counter with a perfect view. 

“Hey Andrews!” Moody yelled, turning towards the living room. “You owe me twenty! Our Gil here did exactly what I said he would!” Anne’s heart sunk as Billy quickly appeared next to him and peered into the pantry. 

“Well done, Blythe.” Billy said with an arrogant tone. “Didn’t know you had it in you. How does it feel to win over the snob?” He stared at Anne before continuing. "Guess you’re not too good for everyone, eh Shirley? You had to cave for someone.”

His words sank in and Anne whirled around towards Gilbert with eyes of fury. “You _bet_ on me?”

“What? No!” Gilbert said, eyebrows furrowed. Anne didn’t listen. She turned towards Winifred and Ruby. 

“And you guys were in on this too?” She said, her voice faltering. 

“Anne, wait-“ Winifred started, but Anne felt her tears threatening to spill. She pushed past them, past the crowds, and bolted for the front door. She could hear the crowed cheering as she opened the door and started down the driveway. She wasn’t sure where she was going. She had no idea where Jerry was and he was her only ride. Her mind screamed for Diana and for Cole but she knew was she that had to get out of there, and fast. 

She sniffled as the tears ran down her face, but she quickly wiped them away as her feet took her past the cars parked in the driveway. She saw Jerry’s car through her blurry gaze and wiped her tears again, sniffing harder to get them to stop. Maybe, by some miracle, the car would be unlocked and she could just sit and cry while she waited for them, maybe-

“Anne! Stop!” 

Her anger flared and she picked up the pace, walking faster. She heard footsteps running towards her and she was about to break into a run when she felt his fingers curl around her arm. 

“Anne, please-“

“ _Don’t_ touch me.” She snarled, yanking her arm from his grasp as she turned around to glare at him. Her temper dissipated for a quick second, seeing his hurt expression. 

Even when she was angry, hurt, and beyond embarrassed, he still had her heart in the palm of his hands. 

“I swear, I had nothing to do with that.” Gilbert tried to explain, his breath faltering. “Please, you need to believe me.”

“And why should I?” She said, voice breaking. Her anger was slowly fading and now her other emotions were taking over. “I let myself believe for a second that everyone doesn’t think I’m the biggest outcast and biggest loser in the school and look where that’s gotten me. Everyone was laughing at me! You don’t know how that feels!”

“Anne-“

“No, I _hate_ you.” She said, tears streaming down her cheeks once more. “I was doing _fine_ before tonight. I didn’t need people to _like me_ , or _notice me_ , but I said I would come because Diana and Jerry wanted to be here so I came for them. I was actually having a great time too, thinking that I was normal for once - that no one cared what I looked like or dressed like or the fact that I’m an orphan that didn’t fit in.” 

She hiccupped before continuing. “And then you! God, Gilbert. You. You let me believe that you.. that you…” She trailed off, sobs starting to erupt from the hollow of her throat. “I ..I can’t believe I fell for it.” She turned around in an attempt to hide her face before she completely lost it.

“I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.” Gilbert tried again, his own voice breaking as he moved around in order to face her. She bit back another sob and turned her face away from him. “Anne, please, I swear-“

“Anne!”

They both looked up to see Diana racing towards her. Anne walked halfway to meet her and crashed into Diana’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably as she hid her face into Diana’s shoulder. Jerry and Cole came up from behind, Cole stopping to wrap to arms around Anne as she continued to sob. 

“It’s okay, we’ve got you.” He whispered into her hair. He looked up at Gilbert, glaring at him. 

Jerry walked up to Gilbert, blocking his view of Anne. “You need to go now, Blythe.” Jerry said, in a tone that was not his own. Gilbert tore his eyes away from Anne to look at Jerry and Jerry could see the hurt written all over his face. 

“Please. Now. Before something happens that we all regret.” Jerry repeated. Gilbert’s jaw tightened, clearly not wanting to leave but knowing there was no other option at the moment. He looked at Cole and Diana, both of whom were staring at him were hardened gazes. He took one last look at Anne’s shaking form, face still hidden away, before nodding back at Jerry.

“Get home safe.” He murmured hoarsely before turning and slowly walking back towards the house. Anne heard his footsteps as he walked by but refused to look at him as he disappeared from view. 

“Come on.” Diana whispered, taking Anne’s face into her hands and wiping the tears from her eyes. “Let’s get you home.”

“No, not home.” Anne said through her tears. “I can’t let Matthew and Marilla see me like this.”

Diana nodded. “You can stay with me tonight. Let’s go.” She looked at Jerry who made his way to his car and unlocked it. Both Diana and Cole helped Anne into the backseat and sandwiched her into the middle. Jerry got into the driver’s seat and started the car. 

Anne’s head lolled and she rested against Cole’s shoulder. His head came to lean against hers as Diana leaned over to rest hers on Anne. Jerry looked at the three of them through the rearview mirror, before pulling off the street curb.

The last thing Anne remembered before dozing off was the soft sound of Edith Piaf’s voice. 

_“…Nooooon, je ne regrette rien…”_

\- - 

_“I can’t believe he would do something like that.”_

_“We don’t know what happened exactly, Di.”_

_“What’s there to know? Him and Winnie and Ruby and the rest of them made a fool out of her. The nerve of them!”_

_“Gilbert looked pretty upset when I told him to go back inside.”_

_“So what? He was probably worried about how he would look in front of everyone else!”_

_“I was always so certain that he had a crush on Anne, with the way he always stared at her in the halls.”_

_“Anne was right all along. They were all trying to make a fool out of her, us! And we all fell for it! We fell for their shit!”_

_“I can’t believe we made her go to the party. Jerry, we should have never-“_

Anne groaned as she opened her eyes, their conversation penetrating her deep slumber. Through her haze, she saw Diana in the bed next to her, with Jerry and Cole in their makeshift beds on the floor. She slowly got up from her sleeping position, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Diana supported her arm as she sat up straight. 

“Sorry, did we wake you?” She apologized, watching as Anne groaned once more. 

“What time is it?” Anne said, her voice heavy with sleep. 

“It’s 10am.” Diana said, glancing at the clock for confirmation. “You passed out once we got home, and it was late so Jerry and Cole just stayed over.” She brushed Anne’s hair out of her face, gently touching the skin around her eyes. “Your eyes are swollen from crying.”

The memories from last night rushed back to Anne as she groaned again. “Right. That happened.” She fell back onto Diana’s pillows, staring at the ceiling. 

“I’m so sorry, Anne. We shouldn’t have forced you to go.” Diana said, clearly upset. 

“You didn’t force me to do anything I didn’t want to do.” Anne said, letting out a sigh. “I can’t go to prom after what happened.”

“Of course you can.” Cole said from his spot on the floor. “You’re not letting them get away with it.”

“How can I?” Anne said, sitting back up. “I can’t show my face there after what happened.”

“It’s exactly why you have to go. You’re going to show them that nothing breaks Anne Shirley.” Cole said, standing up. 

“That’s easy for you to say, Cole. You don’t even go to Charlotte High anymore.” Anne mumbled.Something flashed in Cole’s eyes, and he walked over to Diana’s bed, sitting himself down right in front of Anne.

“Listen here, Anne. If there is one thing I know, it’s that I know what it’s like to be bullied.” Cole said sternly. “I know how it feels when people stare at you and think you’re weird, that you’re different, that you don’t belong. Around this time two years ago, I was at the lowest of lows and I was ready to end it all.”

Anne took note of his stance. Cole had his hands bunched up into fists and they were turning white at how tight he was clenching them. He continued. “And then one day, Fate sent me an angel in the form of a red headed girl with an open heart and with the bravest soul I had come to know. She saw me, and I mean _really_ saw me, for who I was and not what others perceived me as. She didn’t even blink when rumours and cruel words echoed down the hall and chose only to stay by my side, as a true friend would.” 

“Which is why, it doesn’t matter what _anyone_ at that party thinks of you. It doesn’t matter what they say, because at the end of the day, you are more genuine and true than all of those people combined. Anyone would be lucky to call you a friend, a kindred spirit, and I feel sorry for them because they can’t.” Cole ended.

“Cole’s right, Anne.” Diana said, turning to her. With the morning light, Diana’s hair glowed and she gave her the most sincere look. “I didn’t have friends before you came to Charlotte High. Everyone thought I was a snob because my family comes from money and no one wanted to talk to me.”

“And people didn’t care about me because they thought my family was poor.” Jerry piped in. 

“You saw past all of that, with your beautiful heart.” Diana said, grabbing Anne’s hand. “And if the people in our grade don’t see you for who you really are: a kind, loving, passionate character who would do anything for her loved ones, then I also feel sorry for them.” 

Anne had never felt so touched in her life. She took Diana’s hand, squeezing back. “I don’t even know what to say.”

Cole suddenly got up from the bed, straightening up and doing an exaggerated bow, hands opening up to Anne. “Say that you’ll go to prom with me, Queen Anne.”

Anne giggled. “You want to go with _me,_ kind sir?”

Diana let go of Anne’s hand and got up from her bed, bumping Cole aside and bowing in the same manner towards Anne. She put on her best English accent. “Not so fast, you jester, Queen Anne is coming with _me_ to prom.” 

“ _Mon dieu,_ you have so many options! Whoever will Queen Anne choose?” Jerry said in the thickest French accent he could muster, laughing as Cole and Diana laughed along as well. 

Anne’s heart swelled. Here she was, after a nightmare of an evening, waking up to the morning light with her best of friends. They were right, no amount of teasing from acquaintances could ever stop her from being herself - and that was someone who above all, loved her friends with all her might. 

“Well then.” Anne said playfully, putting on her best pirate accent. She stood on up Diana’s bed, putting her hands on her waist and looking down at her three best friends.“I suppose we’ll just _all_ have to go together! What say you?!”

“AYE!”

\- - 

Anne sneezed as she turned away from the pie crust she was currently working on. Wisps of hair fell out of her single braid and into her face, causing her to sniffle from their tickle. She attempted to use the back of her hand to brush it out of her face, but it only kept for a moment before falling back into her immediate view.

“Oh, forget it.” She muttered to herself at her stubborn hair. 

“What are you muttering on about now, Anne?” 

Anne turned to Marilla, who had her back turned to her as she continued to stir the pot of potato stew in front of her.

“It’s nothing, Marilla. Just a lifelong curse of mine that I will never be able to break.” Anne replied, turning back to her crust. She could feel Marilla’s eye roll from where she was standing, and Anne couldn’t help but smirk at the thought. 

“For heaven’s sake, child. There are far worse things in life than having red hair.” Marilla chastised, grabbing a pinch of salt and throwing it into the pot in front of her. 

“Be that as it may, I’m afraid you’ll have to bear my complaints until the end of our days.” Anne said, picking up the crust with her hands and placing it in a baking tray. She smoothed the edges down until it melded in with the tray. If Marilla heard her, which Anne knew she did, she chose not to entertain her antics. 

“Crust is done! What should I start on next?” Anne asked, looking over at Marilla’s back. Marilla turned around and eyed it before gesturing to a basket of blueberries sitting on the countertop.

“You can start by washing those. I can finish up the filling if you can work on the top layer once you’re done, please.” Marilla instructed. Anne nodded and wiped her hands on her apron before making her way over to the basket of blueberries. She started to wash them in the sink as a comfortable silence fell between them.

“How is Cole doing? I hope he’s well.” Marilla asked after a few moments.

“He says art school is kicking his behind, pardon my french.” Anne teased. 

“Well that’s no good.” Marilla replied, distracted. “I hope the party was a good distraction for him. It does not do well for you children to be all work and no play.”

“Oh, it was a good distraction.” Anne said, drying the blueberries in the strainer. 

“And you? You had fun?”

Anne had avoided having this conversation with Marilla since Jerry dropped her off that morning. “I did.” Anne lied. It wasn’t entirely untrue, she told herself. 

“I’m glad you’ve decided to go out more. I was starting to worry that you were entertaining the thought of becoming an old spinster like me.” Marilla said.

“My books and imagination are all I need in this world.” Anne said, coming up next to her and leaning into her gently. “Along with you, Matthew, Diana, Jerry and Cole, of course.” 

“Well, naturally.” Marilla said with a smile on her face. Anne was about to smile back when she felt her ends of her hair tickle her nose once more. She let out the biggest sneeze.

“AA-CHOO”

“Good heavens!” Marilla cried, coughing as a cloud of flour appeared following Anne’s sneeze. “Anne! You’re covered in flour! And you’re making a mess of my kitchen!”

“I’m so sorry, Marilla!” Anne said, waving at the air, attempting to clear it of flour. “I’ll clean it up once we’re all done, I promise.”

“You best bet you will.” Marilla said. “Now, go get changed. It’s all over your face!”

Anne rubbed at her cheeks and found some flour had rubbed off onto her hands. She was about to respond when the doorbell rang. 

“Now, who could that be?” Marilla asked. She grabbed a nearby towel and was in the midst of wiping her hands when Anne beat her to it.

“I’ll get it!” She cried, lifting her apron off of her. The dark green t-shirt dress she was wearing had spots of flour scattered throughout, but Anne paid no attention to it. She ran over to the front door and ran a hand through her hair quickly to brush her long bangs out of her face, before opening the door. 

“Hi-“ She started, but stopped dead. 

Gilbert Blythe was standing on their porch. He had his hands in his jean pockets as he stared at Anne with a solemn expression. 

“H-Hi.” He replied. He clearly didn’t expect to see her answering the door. 

“What are you doing here?” Anne hissed, eyes sharp. She was very close to slamming the door in his face, but didn’t want to catch Marilla’s attention for she’d give her a grand ol’ lecture. 

“I came, well, I wanted to speak with you.” Gilbert started. Anne noticed that a purple bruise had formed on area beside his right eye, near his cheekbone. 

“What happened to your face?” She asked, bluntly. A realization hit her. “How do you even know where I live?”

“I messaged Diana to ask for your number, but she wouldn’t give it to me.” Gilbert said, frowning. “So then I called her to explain what had happened, and after a long conversation, she said I had one shot to make it right with you and just gave me your address.” He winced as if he was in pain, and Anne assumed it was because his facial expression affected his bruise somehow. “Sorry, I hope that was okay.”

“I am going to kill her.” Anne sighed and muttered under her breath. She looked back at him. “You have 1 minute to say what you came here to say before I close the door on you.” 

“Okay, look.” He said, hands coming out of his pockets, gesturing wildly. “I had no idea what was going on last night. I found out after you left that Billy was humiliated by how you turned him down as a prom date so he started spreading rumours about how if he couldn’t get you to go with him, then no one else could because you’re a ‘stick in the mud’”. He winced at the term. “His words, not mine.”

Anne stayed silent, her expression remained the same. 

“So apparently Moody found out about the rumours going around and said that he could beat Billy at his own game. He knew that I’ve had feelings for you for a while, so he told Billy that I would win you over.” Gilbert said, a blush creeping onto his face. He rubbed the back of his neck. Anne had come to learn over the past 24 hours that it was a sign he was nervous. “That was all that was. I swear, we weren’t betting on who could make out with you first or anything like that.” 

“That doesn’t make it okay.” Anne argued, still fired up. 

“You’re right. You’re right!” Gilbert interrupted “It doesn’t make it any better, but it’s the truth and I’m so sorry that it happened.” 

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” She shot back, unconvinced. She looked back into the house, towards the kitchen to see if Marilla was within earshot. “How do I know this is not just another way to get me to kiss you again? Are the rest of your friends going to jump out of the bushes and record my reaction this time?” 

“No! What? I would never let that happen!” Gilbert said, flustered that she wasn’t listening. 

“You know what? It doesn’t even matter.” Anne said, exasperated, looking to the side. “Just- just leave me alone, okay? You’ve said what you needed to say. Let’s just go back to the way things were before and forget that this happened.”

Gilbert’s face fell but Anne was adamantly avoiding eye contact. “Do you really mean that?” He asked quietly.

“Yes.” She answered.

_No._

He stared at her a moment longer, his forlorn look slowly becoming one that looked unconvinced. “No you don’t.”

_What_ did he say?

“Excuse me?” Anne challenged, whipping her eyes up to meet his. His eyes were piercing with determination. How _dare_ he? 

“You don’t know me, Gilbert Blythe, so don’t presume to know what I’m thinking.” She huffed.

He crossed his arms against his chest before sucking a long breath in through his nose. “Actually, Anne Shirley, I do know you. Very well, in fact.”

“Really now? Enlighten me, please.” She copied his stance, crossing her arms against her chest and leaned against the doorframe. 

“I know that you moved to Avonlea when you were 15 because the Cuthberts adopted you. You met Diana at school shortly after, and you guys became best friends and have been inseparable since.” 

Anne scoffed. “That’s school gossip, anyone would know that.”

“I know that you have a vivid imagination. You’re often bumping into things because your nose is always in a book and you pay little attention to the world around you when you’re engrossed in a good story.” He smiled to himself, as if he were reliving a fond memory. “Sometimes, you would look up from your book and just get this really happy look on your face - this- this smile that’s subtle but perfect.”

Anne felt her anger dissipating as he continued. 

“When you’re concentrating on something in class, you talk to yourself quietly and you would always play with the ends of your braid. I know that you prefer to be outside so you’re always sitting under that oakwood tree during your lunch periods. Sometimes you would be there before school starts, and the sun would always catch your hair and it would come out in multiple shades of red, almost multidimensional.” 

“You have a fiery temper, which along with your passion for justice, you aren’t afraid to use. Remember in Mr. Philips’ grade 11 math class? You lashed out at him for being insensitive about the Mi’kmaq tribe and even submitted an article about it to the school newspaper.You love your friends deeply and have no problem standing up for them. You stood up to a group of senior girls talking smack about Cole last year, right in the middle of lunch period. Everyone was so impressed with you, I know I was.”

“Stop.” Anne said, suddenly unable to breathe. She was no longer angry, but now she was confused. “No, you can’t just _come_ here and say all these nice things about me-“

“Why can’t I?” He argued back, stepping closer to her and Anne had to step back. “Anne, I saw you on your first day of school standing underneath the magnolia tree on the lawn and I couldn’t take my eyes off of you.”

“No.” She repeated, her voice sounding more vulnerable. “Stop, please.”

“You had your hair in a braid, just like how you always have it, but there were little white flowers scattered throughout your hair because the wind had blown some of the petals off the tree. The school bell rang shortly after, and you turned around and looked right at me, smiled, and walked away.” Gilbert said, letting out a long breath as if he just ran a marathon. “I haven’t stopped thinking of you since then.” 

She didn’t say anything but just stared at him. She remembered that first day. She had looked to the magnolia tree to give her guidance as she started her first day of 10th grade at Charlotte High. 

“I tried to talk to you after that, but then the carrots incident happened and then you avoided me like the plague when I tried to apologize time after time. Eventually, I gave up trying to apologize because I didn’t want you to hate me more than you already did. I thought to myself, maybe I can get to know her in other ways. I became hockey team captain and figured I could invite you to a game, or if I started to volunteer for tutoring club, you might need some help with a subject and I could get matched with you.” He laughed at himself next, shaking his head. “But then as time went on, I found out from Winnie and her sources that you never attended any of the school’s hockey games. And of course you would turn out to be one of the smartest people in our grade, you didn’t need help with any of your courses.”

“Gilbert..”

“I realize how embarrassing this sounds for me. Winnie and Ruby and the others always said that I was a fool for having such strong feelings, but I really was ready to do anything to get your attention.” He continued to laugh nervously, but then winced visibly.

She stepped closer to him as her fingers rested gently on the side of his face. Her thumb hovered over the bruise, aware that Gilbert was watching her every move.

“How did you get this?” She whispered her question from earlier. He slowly brought his hand up and cupped her hand beneath his as he stared at her. 

“After you left yesterday, I went back into the house and was ready to go home. Billy told me to not be such a drag and one thing led to another..” He trailed off.

“So he _hit_ you?” Anne said, brows furrowed.

“Well, to be fair, I hit him first.” He said quietly. 

She sighed as she felt him squeeze her hand gently. His warm eyes kept staring at her, and she brushed her thumb gently over his bruise.

“Anne..” He started. He was slowly leaning in and Anne found herself doing the same. 

“Anne! Who on earth is at the door?” 

Both her and Gilbert jumped apart just as Marilla appeared at the doorway. She looked at Anne before her gaze landed on Gilbert.

“My, do my eyes deceive me? Is that you, Gilbert?”

Gilbert smiled an earnest smile. “It is. It’s nice to see you again, Miss Cuthbert.”

Anne’s jaw dropped. “You know him, Marilla?”

“Well, of course I do!” Marilla said in a warm tone. “Gilbert here used to be our neighbour before we sold our farm and moved here.” She turned back to Gilbert. “The last time I saw you, you were only a boy. Tell me, how are Bash and Mary doing?”

“They’re doing very well. They’ve been married for a few years now and have blessed me with the most wonderful niece. Her name is Delphine, Delly for short.” He reached into his jean pocket and grabbed his cell phone. With a few flicks of his thumb, he pulled up a picture and showed it to Marilla. 

“Isn’t she precious?” Marilla cooed as she clutched Gilbert’s phone in her hand. She turned the phone to Anne, who smiled as well. “Has it really been that long? Are you off at University?”

Gilbert took his phone back from Marilla and slipped it into his pocket. “I will be soon, Miss Cuthbert. I’m in the same grade as Anne so we’ll be graduating from high school in a month’s time.”

“Same grade?” Marilla said, eyes wide. “Why Anne, is he the Gilbert you mention in your stories at the dinner table?”

“Marilla!” Anne said, horrified. She had never mentioned Gilbert once, not even to Diana. 

Gilbert stared back in surprise. “Anne talks about me?”

“I do _not.”_ She huffed. “ I don’t know what Marilla is talking about! Marilla?!” 

“Settle down, Anne. I’m only teasing.” Marilla said, a smile gracing her lips, before turning her attention back to Gilbert, who had turned a deep red. “What’s happened to your face, Gilbert?”

“Oh, nothing to worry about, Miss Cuthbert.” Gilbert said sheepishly. “I, uh, walked into a locker at school. Silly me.”

“Would you like me to take a look at that? Come in, for tea.” Marilla offered, opening up the front door wider. 

“Oh no, please!” Gilbert said. “I don’t want to intrude. I only came to.. to remind Anne that we have a project to finish up next week.” He lied. 

“Are you sure? It looks quite painful-“

“He’s fine, Marilla.” Anne interrupted. “He was just on his way home, weren’t you, Gilbert?” She looked at Gilbert, who nodded in response. 

Marilla clearly understood that she had interrupted something between the two teenagers. “Well, alright then.” She turned to Gilbert once more. “It was so lovely to see you again, Gilbert. Please let Bash and Mary know that you are all welcome for dinner at anytime. Matthew and I would love to see them.” 

“I will, Miss Cuthbert. It was lovely seeing you again, as well. Please say hello to Mr. Cuthbert for me.” Gilbert said, smiling. Marilla moved to walk away and Anne was about to follow when Gilbert stopped her.

“Anne, wait. I have something for you.”

Anne waited until Marilla had disappeared around the corner before turning her attention to Gilbert. He handed her a box with a transparent cover, and Anne took it and gasped. Sitting in the box was the most beautiful corsage she had seen. The flowers were a light lavender, almost white in colour, with minor greenery detailing in between. 

“I bought this a couple of months ago, intending to give it to you when I asked you to go to prom with me. They’re silk flowers.” Gilbert explained, watching her expression. “I figured that you should still have it even if you don’t want to go with me.”

She looked up at him, her eyes soft. “It’s beautiful.” 

He smiled, eyes downcast. “I thought of you when I saw it.” He started to step back, making his way down her front steps slowly. “Anyway, I’ll see you at school. Good luck on your finals.” He didn’t give her time to respond as he turned around and walked away quickly. 

Anne watched as he climbed into his truck and pulled out of her driveway. She was so caught up in watching him leave that she didn’t see Marilla appear at her side.

“Gilbert Blythe is a lovely boy, isn’t he?”

Anne sighed. “He’s definitely one of a kind.” She said, looking back down at the corsage in her hands. 

Marilla noticed her crestfallen stance and continued. “His father, John, and I were quite close when we were your age.” Anne looked up at her and saw that Marilla was in a place that was far away. “A couple of years ago, John passed away and Gilbert was left to look after the farm on his own. It was a miracle when Sebastian, one of John’s oldest friends, showed up one day in Avonlea with a letter that John wrote to him on his death bed. John has entrusted Bash to be Gilbert’s guardian, and they’ve been a family ever since.” 

“What about his mom?” Anne asked, surprised that Gilbert didn’t have a father. She had assumed that someone as level headed and grounded as him would have the perfect family.

“His mother died giving birth to Gilbert. After the death of John, Gilbert was an orphan.” Marilla said, sighing. “For him to go through so much at such a young age and to turn out the way he did, I admire him so. He has always been nothing but polite and kind, always seeing the best in everyone.” 

Anne wanted to hit herself in the head for being so ignorant. “Y-Yeah.. that’s Gilbert.” She looked back down at the corsage in her hands. Marilla noticed her staring at her gift and smiled.

“That’s a beautiful gift. It would be a shame for it to go to waste.” She commented. Anne gave a small laugh, looking back up at Marilla. Marilla put a hand on hers, giving it a squeeze before walking away, leaving Anne to her thoughts. 

Anne stared at it for a moment longer before a determined look was brought upon her face. She closed the front door, raced up the staircase towards her room and located her backpack. She fished her phone out and dialled a number all too familiar to her. 

“Diana! I need to talk to you..”

\- - 

The following week passed by in the blink of an eye. Between studying for finals and final projects, Anne found herself busy as a bee and before she knew it, it was the evening of Prom. 

She stood in front of the mirror in her room, clad in a strapless royal blue evening gown that Diana had helped her pick out. Its sweetheart neckline accentuated her neck and brought out the fairness in her skin, but also made her skin glow. It hugged her waist before hitting her hips and flared out thereafter in a long sheath of fabric. It stopped right above her ankles and showed off her silver heels nicely. 

She did her hair and make up herself and was very impressed with the outcome. It was a half twisted updo with a few braids peeking out from underneath the twists of her hair. She left the ends natural in its wavy form and some of her bangs framed the front of her face. The makeup was similar to how Cole applied it onto her face, with the exception of a glimmer of dark shadow on her lids to bring her eyes out even more. 

“Well, this is it.” She said to her reflection. She did a quick twirl, her dress flowing along with her. This was as good as it was going to get.

She heard a honk come from her window and she made her way over to it, looking outside. She saw Jerry’s car parked on the side of the street. 

“Anne! Jerry is here!” Anne heard Matthew yell from downstairs. 

“Coming!” She said. She grabbed her phone and was about to walk out of her room when she stopped. She turned towards her dresser counter and looked at the bag sitting there. She paused for a minute, before putting on a determined face and walked over to pick it up. She slung it over her shoulder and made her way down the stairs, towards the arms of a waiting Matthew and Marilla.

\- - 

“Wow..” Jerry whistled as they walked into the main ballroom. The school had rented out a small, private estate to hold the final celebration of the year and spared no expense. The ceiling was adored with twinkling lights that reminded Anne of the night sky. 

Anne clutched her bag closer to her. Her eyes scanned the room and noticed that it was already filled with crowds of people. Were there really that many people in their grade?

“Let’s go find a table.” Diana said, clutching Jerry’s hand and leading them towards a table at the back of the room. She was wearing a lavender coloured dress that hugged her figure nicely. Her hair was done exactly as Anne had expected, and she looked like a queen from a far off distant land. They found a table that was empty and put their belongings down. 

“Anyone want a drink?” Cole asked, gesturing towards the punch table. 

“Yes, please.” Anne said, followed by a “Yes” from Diana. 

“I’ll come with you.” Jerry said to Cole, planting a kiss on Diana’s head before walking away with him. Anne and Diana sat down at the table, turning towards the centre of the stage where a band was currently playing. 

“How are you feeling?” Diana asked. 

“I’m alright.” Anne answered honestly. “I’m here with my best friends, how could I not be?”

Diana smiled, taking Anne’s hand. “I’m so glad you think so, Anne.” They smiled at each other as they exchanged giggles.

“Anne? Diana?”

Anne turned towards the voice to see Ruby and Josie walk up to their table slowly. Her and Diana glanced at each other before slowly getting up from their seat to meet them.

“Ruby. Josie.” Diana said when they stopped in front of them. 

“We came over here because we wanted to apologize.” Ruby said, looking directly at Anne. “We’re all so sorry for what happened. I can’t imagine how awful you must have felt, but I know that I would embarrassed until the end of my days if that happened to me.”

“If it’s any consolation, Gilbert punched Billy after you left. He deserved it.” Josie said, also staring at Anne. “He beat us to it, really. I’m sure one of us would have done it if he didn’t.”

“I had no idea that Moody made that bet with him, Anne, I swear!” Ruby cried. “Moody has good intentions but he doesn’t think of all the consequences involved. If I had known, I would have killed him!” 

Anne wasn’t sure what to say. She wasn’t angry at them anymore, not really. She was still embarrassed by what happened but wasn’t sure why Ruby and Josie were trying so hard to apologize to her. 

“It’s fine.” She finally answered, and she saw Ruby and Josie visibly relax. “It’s water under the bridge.”

“Wont you come sit with us?” Ruby asked, gesturing to a table across the dance floor. Moody was sitting at the table with Prissy and Charlie Sloane. Anne noticed that Winifred and Gilbert were nowhere to be seen. 

“We’ll be fine here.” Diana said, turning to Anne and nodding. “But thank you for coming over and apologizing to Anne. It means a lot.”

Anne agreed. “We’ll see you later. Thanks for the invite.”

She could see the disappointment in their faces but they nodded. Josie was the first to speak. “If you change your mind, you’re welcome to join us later.” Ruby followed with “Enjoy your night” before they walked away together. 

“That was nice of them.” Diana commented when they were out of earshot, turning towards her.  


“It was.” Anne said, before clearing her throat. “I’m going to go use the bathroom. I’ll be right 

back.” She grabbed her bag from the table and walked off before Diana could respond. 

It didn’t take her long to find it and she walked into the first stall she could see, closing the door behind her. She wasn’t sure why she was suddenly so on edge, but she sat on the toilet seat and tried to gather her thoughts. She could hear two girls giggling as they barged into the bathroom and stopped at the sinks.

“So, what happened?” One of the girls asked the other.

“Oh my god, it looked awful. She ran from the party crying and he came back after she had left looking absolutely _miserable_. He then went to Billy and punched him in the face and they started fighting!” The other said. 

Anne felt herself go stiff and she was sure her face was burning.

“They fought over her? Actually?” 

“Yeah, apparently they were making out in the pantry but then I guess something made her mad and then she ran out on him.” There was a pause, and Anne could hear the other girl scoffing. 

“What does he see in her?” The first girl said. “Sure, I guess she’s pretty, but she’s such a _snob_. She always walks around ignoring people, and she always sits outside in front of the school in the middle of everyone and everything looking all perfect with Diana. They think they’re so much better than everyone else.”

“Gilbert Blythe deserves so much better.” The second girl said, voice whining. “I can’t believe he was so upset over her. Let’s go find him and ask him to dance with you. You’re so much nicer than Anne Shirley.”

“I know, right?” The girls laughed together. “Come on, I thought I saw him talking to the rest of the guys on the hockey team earlier. Maybe he’s still there. Did you see him in his suit? He is _gorgeous._ ” They trailed off into another conversation as they walked out of the bathroom together. 

Anne bit her lip as silence enveloped the bathroom walls and she let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Sighing heavily, she unlocked the bathroom stall and walked up to the mirror. She stared at her reflection, not sure of what just happened.

They thought she was a snob? That she ignored everyone on purpose because she thought she was better than everyone else? 

The sound of a flush came from a bathroom stall at the end of the row and the stall doll unlocked and opened. Anne heard the clicking of heels and saw in the mirror reflection the image of Winifred Rose meeting her gaze. She was wearing a beautiful pale pink gown and her hair was loose in perfect curls.

“Hello Anne.” Winifred said softly, clearly having heard the same conversation she did only moments ago. She walked over to the sink next to Anne and put down her clutch. She started to wash her hands. 

Anne gave her a tight lipped smile and looked away from her, staring at her own bag on the counter next to her. There was more silence as Winifred finished up washing her hands and reached out for the towel pile next to the sink. She started to dry her hands, seemingly wanting to say something, anything, but was at a loss for words.

Anne beat her to it. “Do you…” She started, but had to catch her breath. “Do you think I’m a snob too?”

Winifred finished drying her hands and tossed the towel in a laundry basket on the floor. She turned to Anne, hesitating. 

“You don’t have to answer that.” Anne murmured. “I’ve been such a fool. All this time, I thought that people didn’t like me so I put up these walls to distance myself. I didn’t realize that in doing so, I was the one who was pushing them away.”

Winifred cast her eyes down, seeming to understand. After a moment, she gave a soft smile. “You didn’t push away the people who truly care about you.” 

  
“They were right, Gilbert deserves so much better.” Anne said with a sigh.

She felt Winifred’s hand on her arm, and Anne was forced to look into her beautiful blue eyes. “Truth be told, I never once thought you were a snob. That’s not the reason why I hesitated when you asked me. In actuality, I never had time to form my own opinion of you. From the first day you arrived, I learned of your existence from Gilbert and he had nothing but good things to say about you. Since then, his opinion of you became mine because of how much he spoke of you.”

Anne groaned, head hanging low. “I’m the worst. How could I have been so blind?”

Winifred leaned her head closer to Anne, a tinge of hope in her voice. “It’s not too late to change things. Whether it’s with our classmates, or with Gilbert. There are still a couple of weeks of school left. Make the best of it.”

“Did Gilbert tell you that I thought you and him were dating?” Anne said, a blush slowly creeping onto her cheeks. She had thought of Winifred as someone she could never relate to, someone whom she could only admire from afar. Yet, as she stood here next to her, she knew that that couldn’t be further from the truth. There was a reason Winifred was known to everyone in school, she was down to earth and was always kind, no matter the circumstances. 

No wonder her and Gilbert got along so well. 

“He did, and I’m sorry if that confused you.” Winifred said. “Gilbert has always been a brother to me, and Anne-“ The hand on Anne’s arm moved to her hand, lacing her fingers into hers. “If there is _anything_ I know about Gilbert, it’s that he has the biggest heart and has the deepest devotion to those he cares about. Give him a chance to show you that.” 

“What if I’m too late?” Anne whispered back, her gaze not leaving Winifred’s. Winifred gave a hearty laugh as two girls walked into the bathroom, causing Anne to jump. 

“Trust me, my dear, you are not too late. Talk to him, please.” She gave Anne’s hand one last squeeze before pulling away. 

Anne nodded slowly. “You’re right.” She shook her head, quicker this time. “You’re right! I have to do this! I’m in love with Gilbert Blythe!”

Her outburst seemed two startle Winifred as well as the two girls that had just entered the bathroom. Anne noticed them glancing at each other, clearly confused as to what was going on, while Winifred gave a squeal.

“Go get him!” 

A big smile enveloped Anne and she laughed. “Thank you Winnie!” She said before she grabbed her bag off the counter and barrelled out of the bathroom doors. She heard Winifred yell out ‘Check the gardens!’ before the doors behind her. 

Anne ripped through the crowds, her head spinning as her eyes continuously scanned the room for a certain messy lob of curly hair. She ran towards the table where Diana, Jerry, and Cole were currently sitting at but didn’t slow down as she continued down the path next to the table, towards the garden. 

“Anne!” Diana exclaimed, noticing her run by. 

“I’m in love with Gilbert Blythe!” Anne said, laughing as she ran by. She saw Jerry’s jaw drop and Diana’s confused expression turn to one of laugher. As she continued to run, she heard Cole calling after her.

“He’s on the balcony!”

Anne ran out of the main ballroom and her eyes landed on a hallway that led to a set of glass doors. Catching her breath, she walked towards it and as she approached, she saw a figure standing outside beyond the doors with their back towards her. She could recognize him anywhere. 

Standing just outside the doors, she stopped in her tracks and reached into her bag. She took out the corsage she had brought with her out of the box and secured it onto her wrist, admiring the way it looked on her. Taking one last deep breath, she opened the set of doors and walked up towards him.

Gilbert was standing there, handsome as always in a navy blue suit and black tie. Hearing the doors opening behind him, he turned around and stared at Anne.  
  
“A-Anne..”

Anne smiled. “Hey Gilbert.” She clasped her hands behind her back and slowly made her way up to him. She stopped next to him, looking up into his eyes. 

“H-Hey.” He stuttered, staring her up and down. “You look beautiful.” He said sincerely. 

“You look handsome as well.” She complimented, shocked by her own confidence. “I don’t think I’ve seen you in a suit before.”

Gilbert laughed, hands rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, hockey practice doesn’t really require formalwear.” He smiled at her, a comfortable silence forming between them as they gazed at each other.

“I, um. I have something for you.” Anne said, using one hand to grab something in her bag. She found what she was looking for and presented him with it. It was a blue gift box, with a ribbon and a tag attached to it. Gilbert took it from her and gave her a look, as if asking for permission. 

She smiled. “Open it.”

His hands worked quickly as he undid the white ribbon and opened the box. His eyes widened as he stared at the gift, then his gaze was redirected towards the words on the tag. 

_To Gilbert,  
I was scared before, but I’m not anymore._   
_Will you give me a chance?  
_ _Anne_

Anne heard Gilbert take in a deep breath. “What.. How-?” He looked at her as if a million questions were running through his head. 

“It all started on the first day of school.” Anne said, recalling her first day at Charlotte High. “I was standing on the lawn, under the Magnolia tree admiring its blooms, when I heard the school bell ring and I turned around to see the most beautiful boy watching me. I was embarrassed, of course, that someone had caught me talking to the tree, but then you smiled at me and I suddenly felt as if everything was going to be okay.” 

“Then I found out that you were in my first class of the day. It was English class with Ms. Stacey, and I was thoroughly enjoying the class when Billy Andrews started to tease me about being a redhead. I was so angry but I knew I couldn’t lose my temper on the first day of school. But then, you called me carrots and I just lost it; I was humiliated. I had let myself think that someone like you could be a decent person, but I was deceived, so I let me temper get the better of me and hit you with my book.”

Anne gave a small laugh, squaring her shoulders. She looked at Gilbert, who kept his gaze on her. He seemed to be processing her words. 

“Go on.” He said softly. 

“After that, I met Diana and she told me that you were the most popular boy in school and that you were probably only trying to defend me. I learned that you were good at everything you did, that everyone loved you because you were kind, genuine, and the most selfless person in school. I had _hit_ you thinking you were a jerk, but in fact, you were the exact opposite, and I was so embarrassed that I couldn’t face you afterwards.”

“I’m not good at _everything._ ” Gilbert cut in, laughing nervously. “For one, I’m not a very good cook.” He teased. Anne shook her head at him, rolling her eyes at his bad joke. 

“As time went on, I avoided everyone. I thought that they were making fun of how I was different, so I didn’t want them to give a reason to tease me further. The more you tried to talk to me, the more I had a reason to ignore you. I thought to myself, ‘why should someone like him be seen with someone like me?’.” 

“Any time you walked into the room, I would lose my train my thought and I would feel my entire body freeze. You had this effect on me that I’ve never felt before, and it was terrifying. Every time I saw you outside of class, you were always with Winnie which was why I thought you guys were dating. It made sense too, the most popular boy in school with the most beautiful girl. That’s when I decided to keep my feelings to myself. I’ve never told Diana, either, although I suspect she had her suspicions.” 

“Anne..”

“Please, let me finish.” Anne said. “You told me that you know me. Well, I’ve come to realize that I know you pretty well too; more than I’d like to admit, actually. Did you know that when you study in the library, your pencil is always tucked behind your ear and you get this wrinkle between your eyebrows?” She poked the spot with her finger playfully. “You’re going to get pre-mature wrinkles there if you don’t learn to stop.” She teased. Gilbert laughed soundlessly. 

“You always have time for your classmates when they need help. You stay after class sometimes to help someone who has fallen behind that day, even if it makes you late for your next class. Whenever there’s a class project, you will always scan the room to see if anyone is left out. If there is, you’d make your way over to them and offer to partner up with them, even if you don’t know them.”

“That didn’t always work to my favour, unfortunately.” Gilbert said. “One of the projects pulled my grade down. I had to work my butt off to bump it back up.” He winced at the memory of long and sleepless nights.

“You work so hard, between school, hockey, and your farm. Sometimes I would see you sleeping in the library, or you would come to school with bags under your eyes and I’d overhear you tell your friends about how you stayed up late the night before studying because you were helping out in the fields all day. You have a passion for medicine because of your passion in helping people, and I think that you’ll be an amazing doctor one day.” 

Gilbert watched as Anne’s free hand found one of his, locking their fingers together. She stared down at them, smiling to herself. 

“You’re the most devoted, loyal, and kind hearted person I have come to know. I know that I’ve been very quiet this past week after all that’s happened with the party and how you showed up at my house the following weekend. I guess.. I was just trying to come to terms with how someone I’ve liked for so long felt the same way about me..”

“Like I said, I was confused before, but Gilbert..” She brought her right hand out from behind her back, showing him the corsage on her wrist. “I’m not anymore. If it’s not too late… Will you go to prom with me?”

Gilbert looked as if he was at a loss for words. Her long confession had pierced him, and he was in shock. He took a few moments of silence before wetting his lips and continuing. 

“I can’t believe this whole time.. we felt the same about each other but we were just too scared to do anything about it.” He laughed. “Funny how things work.” 

Anne laughed along with him. “Took us long enough.”

Gilbert stepped forward and took both her hands into his, raising them to his lips and kissing them gently. “Will you help me put it on?” He said, referring to the boutonniere in the box that was gifted to him. 

Anne beamed as he took it from the box and handed it to her. She carefully pinned it to his breast pocket, securing it in place. It was a combination of wildflowers that matched the corsage on her wrist perfectly. 

“I made it myself.” She said, sheepishly. “I picked it from the fields behind my backyard a few days ago.” 

“A few days ago?” He said, brows raised. “And you only decide to give it to me now?”

“Yeah, well..” She admitted. “I wasn’t sure whether you had changed your mind or not. If I were you, I would have tried to forget everything that happened with the way I treated you.”

“Oh Anne-girl.” He said, the nickname causing her heart to flutter. His hand came up to her face and he tipped her chin up towards him. “I could never forget you. Believe me, I’ve tried to in the past. But your name comes up everywhere I go and there’s no escaping you. I don’t think you realize how much everyone admires you.” 

“That can’t be true.”

“It is.” He said, hovering closer to her. She could feel his breath on her lips. “You don’t have to believe me, but we can save that conversation for another day. Right now, I just want to kiss my beautiful prom date before she finds another reason to run away from me.”

“She’s not going anywhere. Not anymore.” She whispered before rocking forward on her toes and closing the gap between them. 

\- - 

When she returned to their table, hand in hand with Gilbert, Diana gave her the biggest hug she could muster and whispered in her ear how proud of her she was. Jerry had clapped Gilbert on the back, commenting on how it was about time and Cole just stood there giving both of them a knowing look. 

They danced the rest of the night away, never once leaving each other’s side. When it came time for the announcement of the prom king and queen, Winifred and Prissy were called to the stage and crowned prom queens. Screams erupted through the crowd as they shared a kiss, and Anne happily joined the screams. 

As the night came to an end, Anne took off her heels to give her sore feet a break. The crowds slowly dissipated and before she knew it, she was standing outside of the estate with her friends, reflecting on the night. 

“Aren’t you glad you came, Anne?” Diana teased as she hugged herself in Jerry’s suit jacket, the night air cool on her skin. 

“I am.” Anne replied, smiling over at Gilbert. He smiled back and kissed her hand in response. 

“Hey guys!” Ruby cried, making her way towards them from the front doors with Moody in tow. Winifred and Prissy were behind them, taking their time. “Are you guys leaving?”

“I think so.” Diana replied, looking to Jerry for confirmation. “It’s getting late and I’m exhausted.”

“Ready to head out?” Jerry asked, looking at Anne and Cole. Cole nodded but smirked in Anne’s direction. 

Anne was about to reply, when Gilbert beat her to it. “I can drive Anne home, if that’s okay with you?” He said, turning to Anne. She blushed prettily, before nodding. 

Cole walked up to Anne, not saying a word and pulling her into a hug. Anne was surprised at the sudden display of affection and hugged him back. 

“I’m really happy for you, Anne.” He whispered into her ear. Anne melted into his embrace. 

“Thank you for everything.” She whispered back. He pulled away from her, looking at her before turning to Gilbert.  


“Get home safe.” He said. Gilbert nodded in response. 

“We’ll talk tomorrow.” Diana said, coming up behind Cole and giving Anne a hug. Jerry followed behind her as Diana turned to the rest of the group.

“Good night, everyone. See you at school on Monday.” She said, walking away with Jerry and Cole in tow. Anne waved one last goodbye as they disappeared from view.

“Well, this was an eventful night.” Prissy commented, cheeks still flushed from the festivities. Her arm was looped around Winifred. 

“What now? Back to my place?” Moody said, pulling Ruby closer to him and kissing her on the side of her head. “The night is young and the party has only just started, folks, ” Ruby giggled, taking his arms and wrapped it around her. 

“Ohh yes, what do you say, love?” Winifred said to Prissy, who laughed and agreed. She turned to Anne and Gilbert. “What about you lovebirds? Care to join us?”

Gilbert looked to Anne, who hesitated to answer. Sensing her discomfort, he replied. “Actually, I think we’ll pass. I’m kinda beat and I should get Anne home before I pass out myself.” He laughed. 

“Boooo.” Prissy said, giving him a thumbs down. “Since when were you such a party pooper, Gil?” 

“Oh, leave him alone, Pris!” Ruby said, pushing her arm playfully. “Can you blame him for wanting some extra alone time with Anne?” 

“Of course not. I’m just glad that we don’t have to hear him mope about anymore.” Prissy said in a teasing tone. Had it been merely hours earlier, Gilbert would have probably blushed in response to her comment, but he was much more confident and clearly the teasing didn’t bother him as much.

“Ha ha, that’s great but let’s _not_ pick on Gil tonight.” Gilbert said. “Come on Anne, let’s get you home.” He started to turn away, tugging on her hand. Anne was about to follow when she turned back to the others.

“Tonight was really fun. Thank you for everything.” She said, giving each of them a smile. “See you at school?” She asked, eyes hopeful.

“Of course, Anne.” Winifred replied for them. “We’ll see you on Monday, have a great weekend.” They all gave her a small wave as she walked away with Gilbert. 

The drive home was quiet, with only the soft melody of the radio playing in the background. Anne leaned against the windowpane, eyes heavy with sleep but also trying to stay awake. She must have dozed off at some point because she woke to the sound of Gilbert’s voice calling her.

“Anne, we’re here.”

She shot up from her sleeping position and looked around. They were on her driveway. The porch light was still on; Matthew must have left it on for her. She ran a hand through her hair, blinking once, then twice. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“Good thing I got us out of going to Moody’s. I would have had to carry you home.” He teased with a soundless laugh.

“Thanks for driving me home. I know it’s out of your way.” Anne said, meeting his gaze. He also looked exhausted, but his eyes were kind and soft. 

“Anytime. I’m happy to do it.”He smiled. Anne started to gather her things and moved to open the door when Gilbert found her hand and held it. She turned to him.

“When’s your last exam?” 

“On Wednesday.” She replied. “Yours?”

“Finished everything last week.” Gilbert looked down at their hands, his thumb running over her knuckles. “Can I take you out after Wednesday? On a proper date?”

She smiled at him. “That depends. Where are we going?”

“I guess you’ll just have to wait and see, Ms. Shirley.”  


Anne leaned in closer to him until the tips of their noses touched. “I’d like that.” She whispered before brushing her lips against his. She meant for it to be a quick kiss, but Gilbert brought his hand up to her cheek and leaned in further, breathing deeply. 

“I still can’t believe this is happening.” He murmured as they pulled away, voice heavy with exhaustion but eyes bright. Anne brought her hand out of his grasp and up to his bangs, brushing them out of his eyes lovingly. 

“I should go, or I’ll never leave.” Anne said, leaning in once more and giving him a quick peck. “I’ll see you at school.” She gathered her things once more and gave him one last smile before climbing out of the truck and towards her front door. She gave him a small wave as he started the car and pulled out of her driveway.

Anne watched as he drove away and from behind her, she heard the front door open. Matthew stepped onto the porch next to her. “Was that Gilbert Blythe bringing you home?” Matthew asked, following her gaze. 

“It was.’ Anne said, turning to him. “I’m sorry, Matthew, did we wake you?” She was sure that he saw what had happened in the car but hoped he wouldn’t comment on it. 

“S’alright, I was waiting up for you anyway.” Matthew said and paused, as if he wanted to say something else. Anne kept her gaze on him, and Matthew mumbled something under his breath that she couldn’t quite make out. 

“Matthew?”

“He’s a good lad, that one.” Matthew said, a bit louder. “Will he be coming around more often?” He opened the door for her, hands coming around her shoulder to guide her inside. Anne smiled and walked up to him, kissing him on the cheek. 

“I’m sure you’ll be seeing him around a lot more.” 

\- - 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I am planning to start this as part of a collection and add more side stories, so any ideas/prompts would be very much appreciated! If you enjoyed this story, please leave me a note! It would really make my day :)


End file.
